// archive for 2007

The Cinderella table by Studio De Makers Van is something of a mind bender…It’s got a crazy shape going on (you can’t see it from the photo above, but it morphs into a semi-circle as you move around the table – check out the 3D model on the Studio De Makers Van website). What I like most about it is the traditional profile it mimics in an nontraditional way. I almost wish they had simplified the form so that it didn’t morph quite so much, but it is a very beautiful table. The Cinderella table is made up of 57 individual pieces of birch plywood. Also very cool is the Lace Fence, which is a reinterpretation of a common outdoor element. SDMV describes it beautifully as “hostility versus kindness, industrial versus craft”.

Sean and I put together today’s gift guide over at Notcot. It’s filled with (mostly) affordable picks from our favorite designers. We hope you will check it out, along with the rest of the gift guide that Jean has worked so hard to put together…

I love the idea behind this towel by NIIMI (no website that I know of – if you can point me towards one, it would be much appreciated!). It’s a bath towel that can be modified as it starts to age – from bath towel to bath mat, to dust cloth or wash rag. Obviously, you can do this with any towel, but NIIMI’s towel makes it easy for you with the built in grid and seamed edges. I wish that it were more colorful, but considering it was submitted to the Muji Award 02 (and won the gold prize), it’s not surprising that it’s white.

Hung Ming Chen is a young designer from Sweden with a few lovely products. I think the bird light is fantastic – it can be clipped on to an existing light bulb and instantly create some visual interest in a room. Also very clever was his trash can – simply two wooden pieces with built-in clips – slot them together and create an instant trash can. More work is available on his website, Hommin.

Oh Joy! and I must have had the same dream last night. I had D-Bros on the mind this morning and so checked their website and came across their great new line of 2008 calendars. Just opened up Google Reader – and the first post I came upon was Joy’s on D-Bros! Yum, I love them. Their work is so cheeky and fresh, and I love the broad range of products that they make (though I’m only showing their calendars here, check out their website or mypreviousposts for more of their work).

The calendars are available in a bunch of different stores, but stateside they are available at de de ce.

I saw these inverted candle sticks on Moco Loco and love them. Designed by Alberto Mantilla and Anthony Baxter for Mint, the Abra Candelabra is made from hand-blown glass. It seems like this “inside-out” idea is cropping up all over the place. I first remember seeing Emiko Oki’s Pint Glass Series back in February of this year, and not so long agoAlissia MT’s Inside Out Glasses. I like the trend, but I’m glad to see it moving beyond drink ware. Anyone who can point us toward other “inside-out” products, please feel free to leave a comment!

Hey, peeps! Thank you so much to all of you who have filled out our survey! We love the input that you have given us and are very much enjoying finding out a little bit more about who you all are. We will be closing the survey soon, so if you haven’t already filled it out, now is your chance to do so! Don’t forget, three randomly selected respondants will be able to choose the print of their choice from our store (22:28:09 – 22:31:00, from our Visible:Invisible series shown above).

Ack! This piggy bank by Morphorm is so cute! I love the little cork feet, and the traditional porcelain design on a non-traditional form. One of my good friends has an obsession with pigs and I’ve been looking for a piggy bank for her for Christmas. Every timeI thinkI’ve found theright one – another awesome piggy appears! What to do, what to do?